Topic of the Month

Hair Loss

Hair is
a complex and delicate part of your body. Keeping it healthy and
beautiful is a challenge. Here's a guide that will help you do
just that .

Hair is cylinder of dead
tissue. Damaged hair can never be fully restored to its original
condition. The main factor in growth of the hair is the kind of
cells that exit in the hair follicles from which the hair grows in
the individual person. Each individual hair is also different in
one individual .Hair- care products are intended to promote
certain favorable conditions of hair and to reduce of eliminate
properties of hair, which are regarded as undesirable.

Causes and symptoms:

Reasons for Hair Loss

Both men and women lose hair for similar reasons. Hair loss
in men is often more dramatic, and follows a specific pattern of
loss which has been termed "Male Pattern Baldness". This loss is
caused by dihydrotestosterone (DHT).

Factors for male hair loss include: heredity, hormones, and aging.
This may also apply to women but to a lesser degree. Women may
experience loss of hair after menopause and 2-3 months after
having a baby. Other contributing factors include: poor diet, poor
circulation, acute illness, radiation, chemotherapy, high stress,
thyroid imbalance, certain drugs, coming off the contraceptive
pill, diabetes, high doses of vitamin A (more than 100,000 IU),
sudden weight loss, high fever, iron deficiency, ringworm, some
fungal infections, chemicals and hair dyes, vitamin deficiencies,
and lack of proper nutrition

The normal life span for each hair is from three to six years.
Each hair grows in a hair cycle that can be divided into three
stages: the growing stage (Anacin) lasting from two to six years,
the partial degeneration stage (Catalan) lasting between 10 and 14
days, and finally the resting phase (Telogen) during which time
the hair is shed and there is an involution of the hair follicles
lasting about one hundred days.

Routine care of scalp and Hair:

It is very important to have
day to day care given to hair and scalp to maintain its health and
to increase its beauty. This routine includes brushing, combing,
cutting, shampooing, massaging and application of hair
dressing/lotion.

Brushing & Combing:

Importance of brushing and combing

Many sebaceous glands are
distributed over the scalp. When the hair is brushed, sedum
secreted from these glands spreads over the surface of the hair
and makes it glossy and supple.

Brushing and combing
temporarily affects the blood circulation of the scalp.

Care in selection and use of brush and comb

Well spaced bristles.

Easy Cleaning

Individual use to avoid
spread of disease.

For long hairs brushing
should begin at near the bottom of each strand and slowly reaching
the top and then beginning from scalp and sweep down the entire
strand of hair without encountering any tangle. Careful treatment
of this nature excludes the breaking and tearing of hair.

When the hair is weakened and
its attachment is less the normal, frequent and vigorous brushing
may increase hair fall resulting in further damage. Under such
condition gentle massage of the scalp could be done and daily
vigorous brushing should be avoided.

Massage with Hair oil:

Hair oils especially those containing herbs are one of very
important in hair care. They should be used once every week and
left overnight.

Oils penetrate into the
surface of the scalp with nutrients. Any oil soluble active
substances then get dissolved in fatty covering on the scalp skin
when gently massaged. This also helps in increasing the blood
circulation. These nutrients along with various vitamins are then
transported into the deeper layers. From the blood capillaries are
then transported into the deeper layers. From the blood
capillaries are then transported to the cells involved in the
syntheses of keratin (hair protein) and thus increasing the hair
growth.

Shampooing:

Primary objective is to clean
hair and scalp of all foreign matters. The ideal shampoo should
clean the scalp without producing irritation or causing excessive
reduction of the natural oils, they should have pH less then
7(acidic)

Importance of pH for hair shampoos:

Dry hair has no pH. Only when
the hairs are wet and in water they have acidic pH (between 4.5 to
5.5). Acidic products give astringent effect on the hair outer
layer-cuticle.

Decreasing the evaporation of
moisture and dissolution of proteins.
Imparts natural shine to the hair.
Increases elasticity.
Decreases tangling.

After shampooing proper
drying is necessary since the tensile strength of hair is at its
lowest when it is wet. Brisk rubbing should be avoided. Idealy
hair should be exposed to low heat such as sun or mild heat of
drier.

After shampoo appropriate
hair dressing lotion should be used to put the hair bark into
condition with regards to manageability and luster.

After shampoo hair preparations(Hair dressing
/ Hair lotion)

A good antiseptic,
conditioning and stimulating hair product is helpful in the
maintenance of healthy scalp. The use of such preparation with
ordinary scalp hygiene may help to clean the hair and scalp as
bacteria free as possible and improves the appearance of hair.

Modern Day problems Associated with Hair and
Scalp:

For most hair related problems, internal
medicine plays important role then external application. In recent
times hair & scalp have become target of many ailments. There are
many problems that can be associated with hair & scalp due to:

1. Air and water pollution.

2. Use of shampoos and conditioners containing harsh chemical.
3. Use of common combs and brushes in establishment such as
barbershops and beauty saloons. Problem associated with scalp
arise
due to lowering of the resistance may be because, frequent
washing
with the strong soaps and shampoos, excessive secretion of
oil and
sweat glands, over exposure to sunlight. There are three
common
diseases associated with scalp. 4. Seborrhea
5. Dandruff
6. Hair loss

Seborrhea:

It is an excessive secretion of sebaceous glands giving hair oily
looks. This condition may also be related to the hormonal
secretion of an individual. It is excellent medium for bacteria to
grow the causing pathological conditions leading to dandruff and
hair fall. The most important treat is the removal of excess fat
and maintenance of clean scalp.

Physiological error in the shedding of the
dead cells, which are then stick together and fall off in the form
of flakes. Control of dandruff equires unique combination of
different mode of action such as:

Effective removal of existing dandruff from
the hair by use of good shampoo .

Inhibition of excessive production of new
cells in the uppermost layer of the scalp.

Control of excessive sedum production .

Use of hair products with microbial, anti-
inflammatory and soothing action.

Hair loss:

Hair loss can be repaid or
gradual. With the healthy scalp loss of 50-100 hairs is normal. It
is concern when it exceeds more than 100 hairs per day or hair no
longer grows back on any part of the scalp. Loss of hair may be
due to various causes.

Natural symptoms of aging.

1. Inherited baldness

2. Following infectious diseases.

3. Accompanying of following skin infections.

4. Following disturbance in the diet, digestion or metabolism.

5. As long as the roots of the hair remain healthy, there is
chance of
re-growth.

When people reach there thirties, regardless of
their sex, signs of aging begin to show on their scalp, with
receding hairline, thinning hair, and especially in the crawl
area. From the first hint of hair loss to complete baldness can
take a long time, but it can also happen in just a few years.

How to achieve and maintain a healthy head of beautiful hair.

Three main things are needed for a good-looking
head of hair -- good health, the right attention to cleanliness,
and caution when using cosmetic treatments.

Diet for good hair

Hair growth depends on an adequate diet. A widespread diet
problem, which causes loss of hair, is iron deficiency Anemia. The
cause is too little iron in blood, brought on by a diet containing
too little meat, eggs, cereals or peas and beans. Fresh fruits and
vegetables are also needed to provide vitamin C, which enables the
body to absorb iron.

Cutting the hair

Although cutting the hair is not essential to its well being,
it is easier to keep the scalp clean if the hair is kept
reasonably short. Regular cutting does not make the hair grow
strong or faster.

How hair can be damaged

Although scalp hair is hardy, and can withstand a lot of abuse,
it can be damaged by too much or inexpertly applied perming,
dyeing, bleaching and massage. The amount of beautying the hair
can take varies from person to person. Occasionally the scalp is
allergic to the dye and becomes inflamed and swollen. To prevent
this occurring, applying it to a small area on the arm should test
the dye. If a patch of inflammation has developed, the dye must
not be used on the hair.

Most people who bleach their hair do so with hydrogen peroxide.
If the peroxide is repeatedly applied, it may make the hair
brittle. If this happens the hair may turn rough, develop split
ends, or become thinned or shortened.

How To Deal With Dandruff

Some are of the opinion that at the early
stages of hair loss, dandruff begins to increase. However, an
increase in the amount of dandruff does not necessarily mean that
there is a "cause-effect" relationship resulting in the thinning
of hair.

You should think of excessive dandruff as a warning sign as far as
the health of the hair is concerned.

Dandruff is made up of bits of dead skin that
peel away from the scalp as a result of the effects of metabolism.
Normally, dandruff, in its early stages of growth, is not visible
to the naked eye. It becomes visible only after enlarging into
pieces of dead skin (what we normally call "dandruff") as a result
of the propagation of bacteria and/or problems with seborrhea
scalp conditions.

Persons suffering from prolonged dandruff are
said to have a dandruff ailment. This type of ailment, accompanied
by itchiness, can lead to eczema if it worsens. Suppressing the
propagation of bacteria is one means of dealing with fatty
dandruff. This is because bacteria are one of the causes of this
condition.

If possible, try to shampoo on a daily basis to
prevent bacterial propagation. One effective means of dealing with
dandruff is to disinfect the scalp area with commercially
available medicated shampoos specifically designed for dandruff
removal. However, daily shampooing can lead to eczema for persons
who suffer from dry scalps. Shampooing once every three days may
be ideal for such persons.

Persons who suffer from persistent,
hard-to-cure dandruff are urged to consult a skin specialist.

Life style:

The foremost consideration in the treatment
of this disorder is to keep the hair and scalp clean so as to
minimize the accumulation of dead cells.

The hair should be brushed daily to improve
the circulation and remove any flakiness.

The most effective way to brush the hair is
to bend forward from the waist with the head down towards the
ground and brush from the nape of the neck towards the top of
the head.